


Tell Me Love

by lonechicken



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Hanahaki Disease, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Mutual Pining, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:48:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27886282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonechicken/pseuds/lonechicken
Summary: When Jaskier starts hacking up flower petals, Geralt immediately knows what's going on. He's surprised, because Jaskier falls in and out of love more often than most people change clothes, and it’s usually requited.Only it doesn’t go away, it gets worse.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Jaskier | Dandelion/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 208





	Tell Me Love

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this half asleep at 3am last night when the idea came to me and I frantically had to write it down before I fell asleep and forgot it. I ended up writing the whole thing, and it doesn't even include the original line I'd thought of (about how Jaskier thinks maybe rekindling an old flame with the Countess de Stael might help).
> 
> Enjoy my first contribution to the Witcher fandom. (I have about six other ideas half written that may or may not ever make it only the internet. We'll see.)

When Jaskier starts hacking up flower petals, Geralt immediately knows what's going on. He's surprised, but he knows. He makes some off-hand, teasingly rude remarks about it at first, because Jaskier falls in and out of love more often than most people change clothes, and it’s usually requited. Only it doesn’t go away, it gets worse.   
Geralt complains that Jaskier is louder (because of the uncontrollable fits of coughing) and more conspicuous (because of the trail of bloody petals leading to their location at all times) and just generally more annoying (because he’s withdrawn and in pain and Geralt hates it). Finally he declares that continuing to hunt with Jaskier in tow would put them both at too much risk and so Jaskier must go and confess his feelings to whoever it is so they can either be returned or Jaskier can move the fuck on and get better.   
He’s about to ask which way they’re heading when Jaskier sighs and agrees and turns around suddenly with little more than a wave and a ‘see you around, Geralt’.  
Geralt pulls Roach to a stop and watches as Jaskier gets farther and farther away. That wasn’t what he meant at all. He doesn’t want Jaskier out there on his own, sick and defenceless and off to fall madly in true love with someone else. He was going to offer to go with him, to hunt this person down to the ends of the earth so he could look them in the eye and demand how they possibly thought they could do better than Jaskier.   
Jaskier is out of sight by the time Geralt decides to go after him. If Jaskier wants to do this alone, fine, Geralt will follow him in secret, but he’s not leaving Jaskier defenceless. And he’s not letting him walk into potential heartbreak alone. And if Jaskier isn’t met with heartbreak... well then Geralt will get to see that with his own eyes.   
He trails Jaskier to the town the left that morning, and finds him back in the tavern they visited last night. Jaskier has been approached by a pretty barmaid but had turned her down; something Jaskier almost never did before, but almost always has since the petals started.   
Geralt leaves Roach in the woods and skirts the shadows along the outside of the tavern so he can peek in the windows. Jaskier definitely went inside, but Geralt can’t see him anywhere in the main room. He doesn’t see the barmaid from last night either.   
Then he hears it — around the back of the tavern — voices. Jaskier’s voice. And a woman’s. Probably the barmaid. They’re not saying anything, they’re just — oh.   
Geralt has heard Jaskier have sex before, it’s been unfortunately unavailable. What with Geralt’s heightened senses and how often Jaskier has sex. He’s usually able to tune it out but this time he creeps closer, listens harder, because he’s confused. He thought Jaskier was coming to find the person he’s in love with. He’s obviously not in love with this barmaid, they only met last night and Jaskier has been coughing up petals for months. So why would he...?  
Jaskier starts coughing, violently, and all other sounds stop. Geralt is on the verge of revealing himself just so he can make sure Jaskier is alright, maybe so he can get him some water, when the coughing finally peters off.   
“Are you alright?” He hears the barmaid ask.   
He can picture Jaskier’s self-deprecating smile perfectly. “Yes, perfectly alright darling. My apologies.”  
“Was that...” the woman asks. Most people recognize the disease, but there is a certain mentality around it. People don’t like to think about their own feelings being the thing to kill them, not when there’s so much else out there that should be more deadly.   
“Yes.” Jaskier’s voice has gone sad, wistful maybe. “I had thought that perhaps it might help if...”  
“Oh.” Fabric rustles, and Geralt wishes he could peek around the corner to see what’s happening without giving himself away. But Jaskier seems to have some sort of sixth sense that alerts him to wherever Geralt is in a room, so it’s best to stay hidden. “We could try again?”  
Geralt is taken aback by the flirtation in the words. Why anyone would want to sleep with someone who is clearly in love with another, but maybe that really is what Jaskier needs?  
“Dearest you are a treasure beyond words, but I’m afraid I should probably retire for the night. I wouldn’t be much good company anyway. You’ll have better luck with that chap in the grey cap who was eyeing you earlier.”  
“Oh, you really think so?”  
Geralt almost snorts out loud. Of course this is who Jaskier chose for a roll in the hay. Someone in the exact same boat. If his plan was to fall in love with her instead after an energetic round of love-making... that was exactly his plan, Geralt realizes. What an idiot.   
He misses the rest of their conversation and only catches the stealing of door hinges as they head back inside. Or, as the barmaid heads back inside. Jaskier’s sigh is much too loud and much too close and — oh no those are footsteps coming this way, Geralt has to —  
Jaskier rounds the side of the tavern and freezes.   
“Geralt?”  
His voice is rough and hoarse from coughing, though it sounds similar to... other circumstances Geralt has witnessed the aftermath of. He doesn’t sound like that very often, Jaskier is very careful to maintain his voice. But when he does sound like that, something in Geralt’s stomach clenches.   
“Jaskier,” he replies.  
“What are you doing here?” Jaskier isn’t quite looking at him, and he’s fidgeting and wringing his hands like he’s embarrassed.   
“I followed you.”  
Jaskier snorts. “Obviously. Why?”  
“I couldn’t just let you go off by yourself.”  
“I manage perfectly well on my own all the time, thank you very much, Geralt.”  
“You’re ill.” Geralt narrows his eyes. He doesn’t know why Jaskier is acting like this. “I thought you were going to find whoever it is you’re in love with.”  
“No, that was your idea, Geralt.”  
“And this was yours?”  
Jaskier flails his arms about as if to illustrate some complex point. “It seemed like a logical solution.”  
Geralt frowns. “Why not just confess. It’s not like they’re going to turn you down.”  
The laugh Jaskier lets out is sad, and angry, and his voice cracks halfway through the sound. “It won’t do any good. They don’t feel the same.”  
“Then at least you’ll know for sure and you can move on.” Geralt steps closer. He wants to shake Jaskier by the shoulders to make him see sense. “Would you really rather die?”  
“Maybe.” Jaskier stares Geralt down for half a second before he deflates. “No. Not really. If there was any other way I would do that instead because it’s going to hurt — so much. But more than that it’s going to change everything and I just... I’m not ready to lose you, Geralt.”  
They’re practically toe to toe when Geralt takes another step forward. “You won’t lose me. You’ll never lose me.”  
He stares into Jaskier’s eyes and wills him to believe it. Jaskier’s eyes flit back and forth over his face, between his eyes and down and back up again before he takes a deep breath.   
“Geralt.” His eyes are so intense. Geralt couldn’t look away if he wanted to.   
“I love you,” Geralt says.   
Jaskier blinks. “What?”  
“I love you,” Geralt says again.   
“Wha— but. That’s my line! I’m supposed to say it, that’s how it works! That’s the whole point, I—“  
Geralt shuts him up with a kiss and Jaskier lets out a muffled squeak of protest before he melts into it. Geralt loses track of how much time they spend kissing against the back wall of the tavern, and when had Jaskier pressed him up against the wall? Not that he’s complaining.   
When they pull apart Jaskier rests his forehead against Geralt’s and stares at him. He’s way too close, everything is blurry, but Geralt can at least see that he’s smiling.   
“I love you,” Jaskier says. “If that wasn’t clear before.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Comments and kudos give me more stomach butterflies than anything else ever has, so if you leave either of those you can be confident that you've made my entire week (if not month).


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